Humanization
by Itaweasel-hime
Summary: No matter how taboo their relationship was, it was the only thing that kept her sane in a wartime, and she could not help it. He would make her through all the chaos, even if he was in Akatsuki. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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><p>It was war time, and they stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. She knew-had known from the beginning-that this was not right, that she should not involve herself with a man like him. At the same time, however, the fact he was so completely forbidden made him all the more tempting.<p>

He was not good for her, it was obvious by the number of times he had hurt her without meaning to, just by being a member of that damnable organization. He was a murderer, hateful and dark, so different from who she had grown up to become. Everything he touched fell apart, and Sakura knew, that eventually, this would apply to herself as well. She could not be deterred, though.

No matter how many times she tried to tell him goodbye, no matter how many times she cried her heart out because Naruto, her best friend, had no idea that she was betraying him right behind his back, Sakura could not let him go. Part of her despised him for it, for digging himself into her skin, and refusing to leave her alone, but in her heart, she knew she would never be able to survive without him.

Behind that mask of indifference, that aloof facade, he was a living, breathing man, and though Sakura had only seen glimpses of it, she knew he was more dimensional than what met the eye. Something about how he would occasionally look up at the sky at night, and let out a heavy sigh seemed to humanize him, and she found herself wanting him to let her heal his wounds, like she could those of her friends. Even through those blank, level stares, she could see him agonizing on the inside.

It hardly seemed to matter that he was Akatsuki, while she belonged to Konoha as a loyal kunoichi, in this awful time of war. He was a savage, who lived as an assassin, and nothing more, but in that gentle way he would touch her, he had her coming back for him again. Maybe he was simply using her to get some sort of sick satisfaction, but when his barriers lowered, and he gave her the most pitiful, pained expression she had ever seen, that thought always left her mind. Really, she was beginning to think that he needed her as much as she needed him.

He was shrouded in a darkness that never seemed to end, and Sakura did not know how to save him from himself. All the warmth she contained did not seem like enough to melt his wintery heart, and she should have stopped trying. She was headed down a self-destructive path, and in the end, there would be no one to hold her hand as her entire life blew up in her face.

There was only one thing that kept her going though, and she was afraid to even admit it. As time passed, and he burrowed himself deeper into her being, Sakura had to face the truth, because in reality, she had fallen in love with Uchiha Itachi.

The thought of what Naruto or Sasuke would do at the knowledge that she had fallen for the evil man who had haunted either of their nightmares for years terrified her. If her liaison with Itachi became publicly known, she would be shamed, and forced to leave the only place she had ever called home. If _Itachi _ever discovered her true feelings for him, she had reason to fear for her life.

This in mind, she spent a year trying to hide her feelings for him. It was hard though, because every time he kissed her, she was left wanting more. Every time he entered her bed, Sakura wanted him to return her affection. This alone was impossible, because he was merely incapable of giving her such a large piece of himself. She wanted it to be more than sex, but she supposed she should be thankful that he bothered to careful with her at all. He could have been rough and abusive, but remained soft and detached.

It began to wear away at her though, and they could both feel it. Something had to change. Relationships were always about compromise, but no matter how much she loved him, it only felt as if he were taking from her. She could not let this continue, and she knew it.

Grudgingly, she decided that it was necessary that she tell him her true feelings, and see where that took her. Then war had broken out between their opposing sides, and she was given little time to see his face, let alone talk with him. As the fighting between their separate factions carried on, Sakura honestly hoped her aching heart would forget about him, but it seemed that the longer they spent apart, the more she longed for him.

So, there she stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, posed and ready to fight. Naruto and Sasuke stood on either side of her, oblivious to what was happening. She wished that she could have spoken to him in a more private location, but for all she knew, this could be her only chance. Slowly, her stance relaxed, and she stepped forward wordlessly.

His face remained as stony as ever, though she could just barely pick up how his slender, charcoal eyebrows lifted on his pale forehead.

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><p>He could remember the first time he had seen her. The circumstances of their fateful meeting did not occur to him, but he could only recall a flurry of pink, messy hair, and wide, verdant eyes. She had been crying, and the reason eluded him, but he had watched as she dashed past him, nearly stumbling down as she went. That had been before the massacre of his clan, yet out of all his memories of Konoha, that had left one of the most lasting impressions on him.<p>

She had grown into a beautiful kunoichi. Itachi was not the sort to involve himself with women, but when he had happened upon her in that bar, he could not resist. She was lively and possessed a sort of energy he had very little experience with, and that light had beckoned him to her. Even if Sakura had recognized him, she had still treated him like any other patron in the bar, with a friendliness very few ever bestowed him.

Itachi still had no idea why he had done it. Perhaps he had needed to reestablish his existence, to be sure that he still mattered to the world in some way. Maybe it had been the _sake_ that had made him do it. He had leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and she had not pushed him away, like she should have. For the first time in years, he felt as if he was still coveted by someone.

Torturing himself over what had happened to his clan had done very little good for his sanity, but for once, it had not meant a thing. Though they never spoke about their conflicting standing points, she had accepted him in ways he had not thought possible, until he was craving the little woman like an addictive substance.

Itachi realized he was losing sight of what he was supposed to do, but suddenly, his brother's revenge did not mean so much anymore. Sasuke was slowly becoming unimportant, when she was steadily growing to be the center of his life. It was pathetic, really, that he ended up gravitating towards her, like the earth to the sun. He should have been more than able to stand on his own without using the delectable female as a crutch.

Yet, each time she attempted to break it off, whatever it was, he always stopped her from doing so, even if it was better for both of them. Something kept rearing its ugly head when she did this, making him tighten his grasp around her possessively. She was _his, _and he was not going to let her go anywhere.

Then, war had lifted from the deep-seated hate between their contending sides, creating another wall between them. Itachi was having difficulty remembering the last time he had held her supple body in his arms, and this did not sit well with him. There was nothing he could do to change what was happening though, and could only hope they would both survive the struggle.

Now he watched her walk towards him, even if her horrified teammate stood behind, calling her back. He had to wonder if she knew just what she was doing, and whom she was doing it in front of. It was too late to do something though, because now she had completely disregarded the presence of Naruto and Sasuke, and hid her face into the crook of his neck.

He no longer bothered to hide his surprise, but breathed in her sweet scent of white jasmine, cherry blossoms and peaches, wrapping strong arms about her slight figure confidently. It hardly registered that her teammates were gaping at them in a mixture of disgust and alarm. They were much too disturbed to act, and Itachi was far from caring what they thought. After the long, icy winter, he needed her warmth again, because despite whatever she though, Sakura meant more to him than nearly anything.

"Itachi," she whispered, "I need to tell you something, before we're ripped apart again, and this chance disappears."

His silence was expected, but all the same, daunting. Fear of rejection rose in her throat, because she could not bear the thought of him reacting to her confession as his younger brother had when she had been a genin. Even when Sasuke had returned to Konoha, he had made it very clear that he was uninterested in her, not that he had mattered all that much to her at that point.

Finally, however, he answered in his usual, smooth tone. "I will listen to whatever you must say."

Sakura bit her lip anxiously, a habit she had picked up from spending so much time as Tsunade's pupil. She knew that she had no reason to dread his response, but she could not help the trepidation that crawled up her spine. Swallowing thickly, she took a step back, so she could see his face again.

Rich, burning crimson orbs gazed down at her in quiet bewilderment, and she met his eyes easily, finding no harm in doing so. He was not her enemy, even if a line had been drawn between them. "Please don't think that I expect you to return my feelings, because that is not why I wanted to say anything," she murmured, tentatively touching her dainty hand to his face in an open show of endearment.

Itachi was not sure why her saying this made him feel so agitated, but it stirred in him, quickly festering like a mosquito bite that was impossible to itch. He waited however, as patiently as he possibly could, because her wide eyes told him that what she had to say was likely to change a lot.

"I'm in love with you."

It had felt as if all the air had escaped him, and all was left was the lightheadedness that came with being woken from a dream. That was the last thing that he had predicted her to say, but at the same time, a new fire lit, one that he had no clue how to express. He could only stand and stare at her, stunned by this revelation. How was he supposed to reply to that?

Sakura was strangely relieved, after telling him how she felt. He did not answer her, and she was again, unsurprised. It was off her chest though, and she was unafraid to know how he felt, because it would not change anything. Smiling faintly, she stood on her toes to reach his lips. Awkwardly, she gave him a chaste kiss, before turning to go back to her side, where she belonged. If he wanted to, he would seek her touch again after this strife was over.

She met the eyes of her teammates, understanding the flow of emotions. Naruto gave her a look that clearly said she had stabbed him, and the rest of their village, in the back, but she could not regret her relationship with Itachi. Sasuke was furious, not that she was all that shocked. Itachi was his elder brother, and the man he had spent a majority of his life hunting down. For her to be attached to him must have been a rude awakening, because he undoubtedly still believed she was attracted to _him,_ of all people.

No words could explain her astonishment when a large, cool hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Sakura's head whipped around, pink locks flying around her face in an attempt to keep up with her quick motion. That stern look Itachi always held up was evaporating before her very eyes, mixed emotions she had not thought him capable of giving away his confusion.

"Why?"

Sakura blushed at his question, uncertain of how she should respond, if at all.

"Why would you say such a thing, then leave?" He continued forcefully. "Sakura-

"Does this change anything?" She asked back calmly. His grip on her wrist loosened slightly at her insightful inquiry. He was being irrational, of course, but he could not help it when she had so bluntly confessed to him on a battlefield, in front of two men she was close with, and both hated him to the very core.

Her smile faltered only slightly. "You are still Akatsuki, and I'm still a Konoha-nin. I don't want what we have to end, I just thought you should know." Sakura mumbled, her comfort quickly fading, and she began to wish she had not told him at all, if this was going to be his reaction.

Itachi let out a sigh. He was making her uncomfortable, he realized. "We aren't over," he murmured, glancing over her to his glowering brother. Sasuke probably would have attacked him, if Sakura was not there, in the way of his target.

"Wait for me."

He gave her no chance to answer him, because a moment later, his lips had desperately captured hers, relaying what he could, of how he felt, before releasing her, and utterly disappearing.

Itachi knew she would understand though, by the shaky grin and tears threatening to spill from her vibrant, emerald eyes. He had not known how else to communicate his compassion and inexplicable neediness to her, having been secluded from all social events for his entire life. Itachi was unaware of how to vocally share his feelings with her, but she could decipher him, if anyone could.

_I love you._

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><p>AN: Yeah, I did some changes to this fic. Minor, really, just things I hadn't added before... Thank you everyone for the love and support! :D<p>

And yes, I do realize this was much shorter than my usual fics, but I'm sure you'll live.


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